Her Knight
by The Black Rose Sorceress
Summary: She had given him a new chance and he was trying to not fail her. But Seifer found himself lost in Time Compression and returning to a world that he wasn't sure of how to integrate. He felt like he had failed her once, but he vowed not to do it again. Sort of AU following on "Liberi Fatali- The Fated Children" chapter 34.


A/N : Hello everyone, Catherine here! I know it's been a while and that I have other fics to finish, but this one just couldn't get out of my head so I decided to give it a try. It is one of two endings I have imagined for "Liberi Fatali – The Fated Children". That fic is still ongoing and I have it all planed out, but I really wanted to give this idea a chance. It follows a different direction as of Chapter 34- Trabia. From that point onward, this story has no direct correlation of "Liberi Fatali- The Fated Children", making me consider this fic a sort of AU from that on.

I advise, for those that haven't read it yet, to read "Liberi Fatali", to understand this story better. Mind that is mid migration of its older version and you might note a difference on the writing. However, the main story is all there and nothing on that regard will be changed. It will just become more readable and with proper revision.

Without further do, off we go!

 **Her Knight – Chapter One**

 **Lost and Found**

"NO!"

Katrin's screamed pierced the night. Squall was pretty sure that he hadn't heard the such grief before. In the place where Edea had been standing was now two summoned Guardian Forces – Diablos and Bahamust. The brunette had also launched to attack and Squall couldn't recognize her anymore.

Her hair was longer, her figure slender and he was pretty sure her eyes were a vivid crimson.

On her part, Edea clearly faltered. Two GF attacking and their summoner right behind them was something even the almighty Sorceress couldn't handle. Momentarily leaving Seifer behind, she prepared to defend herself- with no success.

Bahamut and Diablos were clearly superior in strength and Squall saw that she was quick to disappear. Behind, she left the limp body of Seifer.

Katrin was quick to his side.

"EOS!"

Squall had no idea who this "Eos" was, but he saw Dannyella quickly run to her sister's aid. The Cure's spell light filled the air around the three of them. The others were quick to finish the remaining monsters off and were slowly approaching the little group.

Time seemed to stretch as Dannyella cured Seifer.

"…. He is out of danger now..."

The blondes whisper showed how much tired she was and Elton was quick to her side when the girl practically fainted. Over her head, Bahamut and Diablos waited for Katrin's order. Not for the first time, Squall wondered how could she maintain a GF on his form for long. Even with her "alien" precedence, she still had no way of…

His thoughts were cut short when Diablos picked up Seifer's body and Katrin got up on Bahamut's back.

"I'm bringing him to Garden." and with that, she vanished.

Silence ruled the group as they all wondered how the girl had turned from a normal-looking brunette, to a crimson-eyed raven killer.

"….Well, she could have at least given us a ride."

Low chuckles were heard at Irvine's remark.

* * *

Squall arrived to the Infirmary half an hour later. On one of it's bed lay a very grumpy Seifer, with Dr. Kadowaki probing around him. On its side, was a very looking tired Katrin who looked at him as soon as he entered. With an even more tired smile, she approached him.

"...Sorry for running of. I guess I was just worried."

For a few seconds, he looked at her, not sure how to act. Scold her? Blame her? Encourage her? He hadn't even resolved inside of his mind how to deal with the information he had received that day.

"...How is he?" he ended up asking, looking at Seifer. The blond was cursing at the doctor.

"Better. He has a mild concussion and needs to stay in just for examinations and to make sure Edea hasn't left anything inside, but he will be fine."

She seemed like she was going to pass out at any moment and Squall knew it was pure will that made her still stand.

"...Go rest."

She looked at him, her eyes grateful and scared.

"Squall… we should… we should talk. I-"

"I know. Later."

His gaze turned to Seifer then and Katrin knew a dismissal when she saw one. Quietly, she left the Infirmary.

In his room, Kadowaki had just finished probing Seifer for the moment. With a last warning of "Don't you dare move from there until I say so!", Kadowaki left the room, leaving Seifer and Squall alone.

"So… I saw you talk with Kat."

"Yeah."

"What did you tell her?"

"Nothing much."

"Bullshit."

Squall looked at his rival who was very obviously glaring at him.

".. I told her to rest."

"Squall, they had no ill intentions. You have to understand that-"

"I know." was the short cut. "I am still thinking about it."

Seifer observed the arm-crossed brunet in front of him and understood that Squall had more in his mind that he was letting even himself let on.

"Come here, we need to talk."

Squall raised an eyebrow at that, but ended approaching the blond.

* * *

Seifer was watching the fountain on the estharian palace garden and wondering, not for the first time, if that wasn't too much.

"I am surprised that you are still here. And even more surprised that Squall knew you were here."

He turned around to her voice – in the past days, Katrin had changed. She was more sure of herself, more out of this world. Seifer wasn't really sure how to define it. He knew that her encounter with her past self and the soul inside her (he still couldn't really grasp the concept of her having another "mind" in her head) had made her more than sure what her purpose was. He liked this version of her but he missed the old Kat – although – and that he couldn't deny, no matter how hard he tried – but the power that she unconsciously showed the world was exciting to him. It was like a siren song that he couldn't get free of.

Not that he wanted.

"What are you doing here anyway?"

"Thinking."

She laughed at that, no malicious intentions underneath.

"Really? About what?"

Her smile was still hers, he noticed, as she seated next to him.

"About you."

The answer caught her off guard, he noticed, as the smile faltered for a second.

"How so?"

"Now you are an almighty goddess which will vanquish the evil of this world."

"I wouldn't go that far" she replied, laughing. "But yes, I would say that is our main objective. To make the world balanced again, to make everything right, to clean all the corruption that the sorceress powers have been inflicting."

They stood there for a few minutes, thinking.

"Now what?"

"Now we let Ultimecia possess Rinoa, make Ellone send them back in time and achieve Time Compression and then we kill the bastard." Katrin replied, that vermilion color back to her eyes. Seifer was never sure what to feel about that -if scared or…. Or turned on.

"And after that, we come back and make things right."

He noticed how she looked at the nothing, how her eyes clearly showed she wasn't there anymore, her mind going to the events on the ruins, of what she had learned there. The three of them hadn't really shared with the rest, only saying that their purpose was "to destroy the sorceress and clean the world".

Seifer knew there was so much more than they were letting on.

He wanted to cuddle her, wanted to hold her, to show her he was there for her – but knew there was no need for that. She knew that. Although he had the selfish wish of just having her for himself for a few hours – if not even for a full day.

The problem was that they didn't had a full day. Next morning they would go carry their plan and Hyne help them, but they needed the rest. _She_ needed the rest.

"We should go to bed."

She looked at him then, a shadow crossing her eyes.

"What?"

"We should go rest." he raised an eyebrow at her, silently wondering what was going on. With a nervous laugh, Katrin got on her feet.

"Y-yeah you are right. Come on."

She quickly left him, probably going to have some shut eye and Seifer wondered, not for the first time, if he had chickened out – again.

Mumbling how stupid and coward he was being, he followed his own advice.

* * *

There was only gray around him. Gray and black. A vast amount of black. Under his foot, only rocks. Nothing truly alive was there.

Except for him.

How long had he been there, wandering, trying to find his destination?

Selphie's mantra – was her even her mantra? He couldn't recall- was still in his head, but he couldn't find the place. He couldn't find the place of where he was supposed to go.

He turned right, he turned left, he stopped, he turned back – no matter which direction he took, it seemed it was futile. There was only black and gray around him and rock under his feet. He fell on his behind, slowly losing hope.

He would never come back. No matter how much he tried, Katrin had been wrong all that time – he wasn't worthy it.

He was going to die there, alone like he was supposed to.

He wasn't even sure if his memories were right. They were slowly vanishing from his mind and Seifer knew then he was loosing his mind, his sanity escaping like sand on his fingers.

He took a deep breath, another, and another. On his fourth breath, he tried to get up, tried to give himself the mantra that "Katrin is waiting for you, get up and move!".

But he couldn't.

On his first try he managed to get on his knee before falling down again. On his second try, he tried to. On his third, even with the help of Hyperion, it was obvious his body had given up.

How long had it been? How long had he entered that void place? How long since Ultimecia had vanished in a bright light? How long had he heard her voice?

He sighed and Seifer could feel the strength leaving his body.

It was no use. Death would come and for the first time in his life, Seifer was fine with it.

* * *

Voices. Voices around him, shouting, with an accent he recognized very well. He could have sworn that in the background, waves were hitting the shore.

A slap to his face made him groan. Another slap made him open his eyes, the intention of hitting whoever was hitting him surfacing.

Above him, three very masculine and wrinkled faces were closely watching him.

"Oy, I think he is coming to!"

"Now now, give the lad some space!"

With a grunt, Seifer turned on his side, vomiting salty water. He was confused, he felt sick, the world around him was spinning and for a second he had no idea how he got there.

"Here son, drink some water."

He received the bottle with all the joy he could muster then. The liquid felt like heavens had touched him and helped Seifer regain a little more of his conscious.

He looked around. Three very tanned and wrinkled men were looking at him.

"How you feeling son?"

Seifer had to cough, feeling his throat dry and like it hadn't been used in years.

"I'm…. sort of.. Where am I?"

"Balamb coast son. Here, drink more."

Seifer gladly accepted the suggestion, drinking more of the offered water.

Balamb. He was in Balamb. Did that mean… he had made it? He was still alive?

"Garden… Where is B-Garden?"

The three men exchanged looks and for a second Seifer's heart stopped – until one of them released a loud "Oh!".

"You mean Balamb Garden, lad? Probably where it has always been in the last years."

"You a student from there?" asked another and Seifer nodded.

"Come now, let us bring you somewhere safer. You look like you have been through hell."

It wasn't far from the truth, Seifer pondered.

* * *

One of the men welcomed Seifer on his home in Balamb City and Seifer couldn't thank him enough. He needed the rest, the clean clothes and time to think. First of all, he needed to know what happened. He wondered what he should try to find out first, if about Garden or if about the world. He pondered about the man's word earlier.

" _Probably where it has always been in the last years."_

After a decent meal and a quick shower, Seifer lef the city's safety. Very subtly, he found out that the Garden was stationed where she had been all it's life before they had made it fly. The man had looked at Seifer strangely when he relied that information to the blond and Seifer tried not to look suspicious as he left.

The road had been calm, as it usually was. A few monsters here and there but nothing that Seifer couldn't handle. He was glad that Hyperion was still by its side.

Approaching the place where Garden had always been, Seifer noticed with a surprise that the building was like it had been his whole live – stable and grounded.

He looked at it for a few seconds, fear suddenly gripping his stomach. What did that mean? That Squall and the others had managed to make it go back to its former self or…. Or was he in the past?

Approaching the entrance, Seifer noticed how nothing had really changed. The students still loitered around, enjoying the sun or the quiet. Some where training with friends, others were just existing. He was amazed how everything seemed so…. Normal. So peaceful.

He was starting to have doubts, the fear stronger than ever as he entered the building and looked around.

"...No way...Seifer?"

The voice was familiar, although he couldn't really say how. Turning around, looking for the voice's owner, he spotted…. A very older-looking Quistis.

"...Quistis? Is that you? You look…." he looked at her, head to toe, trying to find a nice way of putting it. "...different."

"Oh Seifer…." there were tears in her eyes and Seifer suddenly felt very, very uncomfortable. People that were passing through looked at them, some with clear hostility in their eyes.

"Now, now… I know you never really liked seeing my face, but come on..." he said, gently grabbing her shoulders, afraid that she would just succumb at any moment.

"You were supposed to be dead!"

He froze then, his whole mind shutting down.

 _Dead?_

"Now… I know you don't like my guts Trepe, but come on-"

"No no! You don't understand! It's been-" He was sure she was hysterical now and of all the things Seifer didn't want then was making a scene.

He nearly dragged his former instructor to a nearby bench.

"Come now Trepe, take a full and calmly-"

"It's been thirteen years." He stopped at that, staring at her. "It's been thirteen years since… since we defeated Ultimecia. You never came back. Katrin went after you but… It's been thirteen years. Oh Seifer!"

She hugged him then, her tears free as her former student just stood there, paralyzed.

What did she mean by _thirteen years_?


End file.
